I had a lovely birthday. I woke up to the sound of Junior clapping his hands on the monitor, and he continued to be in a good mood all day.
The weather was mild, so we went to Wandle Park.
We continued our house hunt; talked to family on the webcam; ate Japanese curry for dinner. To the outside observer it might sound like any other day, but it's true that the simple pleasures are the best. I got to spend the day laughing with my two favo(u)rite men, and forty feels pretty good so far.
Or so we thought. At the scan today, we were surprised to hear that they think I'm actually 12 weeks 4 days already. Accordingly, they have adjusted my due date to 4 Dec.
Everything is normal; there is a very low risk of Down's (which was the main point of the scan). Junior is measuring just over 6cm.
The sonographers were kind and informative. They spent nearly 45 minutes with us (mostly because it took a while to get the baby into the right position to measure the back of the neck) and let us listen to the heartbeat. It was amazing to watch it jump around, roll around, stretch and contract (mainly contract). Hard to believe there's a small person moving inside me. It does look human, or at least, humanish. We could see a face, 2 hemispheres of the brain, 2 arms, 2 legs, torso, heart, bladder, and stomach.
I also have a fibroid, which is currently measuring larger than the baby, probably why the baby wasn't stretching very much. They're not worried yet, and it is well-placed at the top of my uterus, but they'll keep monitoring its growth.
Speaking of hearts, I was invited to participate in a cardiac study of pregnant women: they are comparing a heart condition called left ventricular non-compaction (LVNC) in black and white women. It seems that black women develop this condition during pregnancy more often than white women, so they are trying to see why there is such a big difference, as well as looking for ways to treat it. I thought it would be interesting to know more about my own heart, so I went for an ECG and ECHO before the scan. Everything was normal and I got to listen to my own heartbeat while watching it throb on the screen - eerie, but cool. I'll go for another ECG and ECHO when I have my 21-week scan at the beginning of August.
So happy that everything is going well..and I'm looking forward to the 2nd trimester. It's beginning to feel a bit more real everyday.
It's my Londonversary: I moved here on 13 September 2004. At the time, I didn't know how permanent it would be. I knew that I wouldn't need my apartment, my car, or most of my furniture anymore. But at the same time it didn't feel like moving - more like a year abroad. I wasn't ready to bring all my clothes, books and other worldly possessions. If nothing else, I spent my first year in student halls, in a room that closely resembled a Swedish prison cell. I couldn't squeeze in much more than my laptop and iPod, and really, who needs more than that these days?
In September 2005, I went back to California for my sister's wedding. My future in the UK was far from assured. My Master's course had finished, I had no job, and I had only just barely met S. I came back to London homeless, unemployed, but optimistic.
By September 2006, I was married. I had changed my name and address. I lived here.
In September 2008, I naturalised and became a dual citizen.
Six years does not feel that long, and yet I'm a different person now, at least on paper. The time is more noticeable when I look at my friends' kids: children I remember as newborns are now in elementary school. Some of the older ones are now taller than me. Students I taught in California have graduated from college... Students I taught in Japan are married with kids of their own!
So here are a few photos from my first week in London, Sep 2004, taken at Kew Gardens. See if you can tell the difference!
By now you know that our trip to Istanbul was scuppered by the volcanic ash. We still wanted to go away for our anniversary, so we rented (hired) a car and drove to Stonehenge on Tuesday.
Our tiny Toyota Aygo, barely bigger than a Smart car - life size photo
The weather was beautiful (part of the reason why the volcanic ash has not been spreading, apparently. Incidentally, according to the weather widget, it has been raining in Turkey, so maybe we lucked out by not going?!)
If you have not been to Stonehenge, it is close and familiar yet distant and mysterious all at the same time. The stones sit mere meters away from a main road; they look just like the photos. But the path keeps tourists from getting too close (unlike the pyramids where people can sit - and write graffiti - directly on the monuments); and the only interactive experience is listening to the audio tour. At some level, they are just rocks sitting in a field. Very beautiful, mysterious rocks that look different from every angle, but not exactly entertaining.
Perhaps that is why they let sheep roam around just outside the site.
S thought of lamb chops... I thought of wooly jumpers...
In the evening, we checked into the Spire House B&B in Salisbury. On our kind hostess' recommendation, we stopped by Evensong at Salisbury Cathedral and wandered around the lovely houses in The Close.
This was followed by dinner at Anokaa. We were a bit cynical of all the accolades, but the restaurant deserves all the credit and awards it gets. Our meal was unusual, well-presented and delicious.
New Forest is famous for its ponies, which roam pretty much wherever they please.
pony version of the local kebab shop
Driving on, our guidebook suggested a visit to Bucklers Hard, which was, ahem, closed when we got there. So we proceeded to picturesque Beaulieu.
pony procession
We drove home in the evening and returned the car. It was a nice change from public transport (and indeed, we would have had trouble going to some of these places without a car) but I'm still happy not to drive around London on a daily basis.
Happy anniversary, S! Thank you for a nice getaway...
We spent our first anniversary in Bath. The flowers were blooming and it was beautiful. I took this picture of wisteria on the Royal Crescent. It was my least successful ColorSplashing attempt, especially in print, but I didn't want to leave it out of the calendar.
Click on the photo to see a larger version on flickr.
In the spirit of saving the best (or at least, the biggest) for last, S gave me two more xmas presents last night when we got home from Ossett: a bento box and an iPhone dock/clock radio.
I must be a woman of simple tastes* because I lurve it. I can't believe it took me this long to discover the Absolute 80s radio station! I've got 3 new books to read: Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters, and Mr Darcy, Vampyre, as well as finishing S's copy of The God Delusion. You can also see my collection of iPods (video iPod and iPod shuffle), paperweights, and two of my favorite pictures of S long before I met him.
*stop laughing!
I could easily stay in bed forever with all this to entertain and sustain me.
By the way, if you have noticed how many blogs I have posted recently, there's a reason... I want to post 100 blog entries in 2009 - one more to go!
We spent our first xmas together in Iceland. Re-reading my blog entry just now filled me with lovely memories. The weather wasn't great and there was very little daylight but we found warmth and hospitality nonetheless. Shame about the Icelandic economy; it's a wonderful country and I wouldn't hesitate to go back someday.
Click on the photo to see a larger version on flickr.
note the blankets provided for outside seating; brilliant!
We caught the changing of the guard at the Royal Palace.
The pomp and circumstance was diminished slightly by the silly shiny helmets. And the Swedish sense of humor was in evidence when the band started to play the Indiana Jones theme!
We ducked into the nearby church to warm up. The weather was sunny and clear, and cold!
Walking around Skeppsholmen, we saw...
...men fixing the sails on a ship
view of Södermalm from Skeppsholmen
...and the Moderna Museet (Museum of Modern Art). Giant moving sculpture by Alexander Calder:
and other larger-than-life, colorful outdoor sculptures. These must help provide some relief during the stark, snowy winters.
Stockholm is a very cycle-friendly city.
We tried to rent city bikes. Unfortunately we decided that it was too expensive for the short amount of time we wanted to use them. In the end, we walked, rode buses and took the metro instead.
We activated our free 24-hour Stockholm cards (courtesy of expedia when we booked our tickets). We started by visiting the Katarinahissen elevator.
check out the temperature: 3 degrees! brrr
While the view from above was impressive, they foolishly placed the elevator in such a way that you couldn't see the best bits.
view of Gamla Stan and Norrmalm, behind here. you'll just have to trust me.
In that respect, I had to prefer the Elevador de Santa Justa in Lisbon. Sorry, Stockholm! Still, only one mark against the Swedes. Not bad.
From there, we walked around Södermalm. This mosque:
overlooks this skateboard park:
Djurgården features several miles of park land, dotted with museums, a zoo, an amusement park, and other entertainment.
